Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wang Xiulan's gaze habitually swept across the courtyard, finally settling on the somewhat messy and overgrown vegetable patch that her son had harvested. The uneven soil was exposed, with remnants of cabbage roots and radish tops. A few thin bamboo strips that Wei Chen had haphazardly stuck in the ground, crookedly supporting the plastic sheeting, swayed slightly in the cold wind, and the pitiful greenery under the shed looked listless.

"This place..." Wang Xiulan murmured to herself, as if she had found her anchor. She hurried back into the house and rummaged through the bulging burlap sack she had brought with her, pulling out several "treasures"—a hoe with a wooden handle worn smooth and shiny by her hands, yet the blade remained sharp; a rake with sturdy wooden teeth and a heavy head; and a small but gleaming sickle.

These farming tools, which have been with her for decades, carry the scent of her hometown soil. Holding them in her hands now, a familiar sense of power instantly surges through her body.

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her strong forearms, and walked to the vegetable patch. Without the slightest hesitation, she raised the hoe high, whistling through the air, and brought it down precisely and powerfully, embedding it deeply into the frozen, somewhat hardened soil with a "snap."

Hoes flew, followed by rakes, breaking up and leveling the clods of earth. The frozen soil yielded to the resilient force, becoming soft and flat.

Sweat quickly soaked her temples, rising in wisps of white vapor in the cold air. Oblivious to this, she was completely absorbed in preparing this small patch of land. Every hoe stroke, every rake stroke, was done with an almost reverent seriousness.

This is no longer just about tidying up the yard; it's more like carving your own mark on this unfamiliar land in the most familiar way, declaring a silent commitment to taking root.

"Aunt Wang! Is Wei Ran home?" A clear child's voice rang out outside the moon gate.

Wang Xiulan straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, and saw Niu Xiaocao and Xiao Shitou peering through the door frame with expectant looks on their faces.

"Hey! I'm here! Ranran!" Wang Xiulan called out into the house. Wei Ran ran out at the sound of her voice, and her eyes lit up when she saw the grass and the stones.

"Sister Xiaocao, Brother Shitou!" Wei Ran called out softly, a little shyly.

"Come on! Wei Ran! I'll take you to play! It'll be so much fun!" Xiao Cao greeted enthusiastically.

"Go on, Ranran, go play with your older brothers and sisters, don't go too far." Wang Xiulan nodded with a smile. Watching her daughter being pulled by two simple and honest children, running out of the moon gate, and the cheerful footsteps fading into the distance, she felt a little more relieved.

After seeing the children off, Wang Xiulan's gaze returned to the makeshift plastic shed. She walked over and examined it closely. Her son, Wei Chen, had good intentions, but the shed was far too haphazardly constructed. The thin bamboo poles were stuck in the ground, the plastic sheeting was loosely draped, and the edges weren't even secured; a strong gust of wind could easily overturn it.

She shook her head and turned to rummage through the shed in the corner where miscellaneous items were piled up. Soon, she found several thicker and sturdier bamboo poles, and also some half-bricks.

She carefully pulled out the thin bamboo sticks that Wei Chen had stuck in, and then dug a deeper hole in the original spot with a hoe, forcefully inserting the thick bamboo pole and pushing it deep into the soil to ensure it was stable.

Next, she covered the plastic sheet again, pulling it taut in all directions until it was completely smooth and wrinkle-free. Finally, she moved the broken bricks and carefully pressed them down around the edges of the plastic sheet, leaving no gaps.

A low and simple greenhouse, though sturdy, was built to withstand the cold winds. Under her skillful hands, the few rows of scallions and sparse spinach inside seemed to stretch out a bit more under this tight protection.

After finishing all this, she carefully covered the roots of the scallions with fresh soil and pressed it down firmly. Looking at the newly transformed vegetable garden and the impressive greenhouse, Wang Xiulan breathed a long sigh of relief, a satisfied smile spreading across her face, a sense of anticipation, like that of a farmer awaiting a harvest, welled up within her.

She picked up a large broom again and swept the yard inside and out, down to every nook and cranny, not even missing the fallen leaves at the base of the walls. Under her diligent hands, the entire small courtyard became cleaner, tidier, and more vibrant than ever before, filled with the carefully tended atmosphere of life.

Just past noon, the sun had risen higher, and the sunlight was warm and inviting against the north wall in the courtyard, sheltered from the wind. Wang Xiulan was sitting on a small stool, taking out a shoe sole she had half-finished, ready to continue her work, when the moon gate creaked open.

"Sister-in-law Wang! Still taking a break?" Liu Xiufen walked in with a smile, carrying an old basket filled with materials for pasting matchboxes. "Wow! This yard is so neatly tidied up! It's so pleasant to look at!"

"Xiufen, you're here? Come on, have a seat!" Wang Xiulan quickly stood up to greet her, a genuine smile on her face. She moved a small stool over and handed it to Aunt Liu, saying, "I'm just tidying up anyway."

Liu Xiufen put down her basket, sat on a small stool, and looked around the newly renovated courtyard. She exclaimed sincerely, "This is no haphazard tidying up! Look how level the ground is, how well the shed is built. You can tell at a glance that you are a skilled worker!" As she spoke, she deftly took out wood chips, paper scraps, and a small can of paste from the basket. Her fingers flew as she skillfully began to paste matchboxes.

The two had barely exchanged a few words when footsteps came from the moon gate again, and Grandma Li arrived with an old cloth bag tucked under her arm.

"Aunt Li! You're here too!" Aunt Liu greeted her with a smile.

"I heard from Chenzi that Xiulan lives alone, so this old woman came over to join in the fun and soak up some sun!" Grandma Li said cheerfully, pulling up a small stool to sit down. She took out a sewing basket and a worn-out sock from her cloth bag. "When you get old, you hate being alone."

Wang Xiulan felt a warm glow in her heart and quickly poured Grandma Li another cup of hot water: "Grandma Li, drink some hot water to warm yourself up. I'm so happy you could come!"

The three women sat together, the sun warming them comfortably. The conversation naturally flowed. Liu Xiufen talked about the situation of each household in the courtyard: whose mother-in-law was domineering, whose daughter-in-law was virtuous, how to prevent faucets from freezing in winter, and which cooperative's winter-stored vegetables were cheap and fresh.

Grandma Li recounted the changes this courtyard house had undergone over the decades, pointing out which walls had been renovated and which trees had been struck by lightning, her words filled with a sense of the vicissitudes of time. Wang Xiulan gradually opened up, talking about the winter off-season in the countryside, how to pickle vegetables and store sweet potatoes, and when she got to the funny parts, the three of them burst into hearty laughter.

Wang Xiulan's needles and awls whirred and slid across the thick soles of her shoes, the hemp thread digging into her skin and leaving faint red marks, but she was completely unaware. She felt that chatting casually under the sun was more comforting than anything else.

Just as they were chatting animatedly, a figure flashed through the moon gate. A middle-aged woman carrying a sewing basket walked in, her face beaming with a warm smile: "Oh! It's so lively here! No wonder I heard laughter! Working in the sun, they really know how to find a good spot!"

She casually pulled over the last small stool and sat down, then took out a half-finished blue cloth jacket from the basket and began to hem it, the stitches fine and even.

"His third aunt is here? Please have a seat." Wang Xiulan greeted her with a smile.

"Auntie Li is here too, perfect! The more the merrier!" Liu Xiufen replied. Grandma Li nodded with a smile.

The arrival of the three aunties made the atmosphere more lively, but also subtly added a different element.

She subtly steered the conversation towards Wei Chen: "Xiulan, you're so lucky! Wei Chen, at such a young age, is already a purchasing agent, and I heard he even did a good job? He has a bright future ahead of him!"

"This yard is so well-maintained! When Wei Chen lived alone, it was clean, but it couldn't compare to how tidy it is now! It's all thanks to you, his mother, for being so good at managing the household!"

"Look how sturdy this shed is! Wei Chen is too busy with work to do something so meticulous..."

As she sewed, she quickly glanced at the old basket containing balls of hemp thread and scraps of cloth that Wang Xiulan had placed at her feet, then at the newly trimmed vegetable garden, mentally assessing the family's diligence and potential wealth. She had taken Yan Bugui's advice to keep in touch with Wei Chen's family very seriously.

Wang Xiulan just smiled modestly, ignoring the praise for Wei Chen, and only talked about farming: "Country folks only know how to do this kind of rough, heavy work. This shed is just to keep out the wind and prevent those little scallions and spinach from getting too cold."

Liu Xiufen and Grandma Li chatted more naturally about everyday matters. The sunlight moved slowly, casting long shadows on the blue brick floor. The patched matchboxes gradually piled up in Aunt Li's basket, Grandma Li's torn socks were almost finished, the collar of Aunt San's jacket was hemmed, and Wang Xiulan had added another layer of thickness to the soles of her shoes. Time flowed quietly amidst the quick stitching and the chatter about family matters, dispelling the unfamiliarity and loneliness of the newcomers.

The tranquility under the warm afternoon sun was broken by Wei Chen's bicycle bell and footsteps.

The sounds from the courtyard became clearer. At the base of the north wall, sheltered from the wind and in the sunniest spot, were several small stools and folding stools.

Mother Wang Xiulan, Grandma Li from the backyard, Aunt Liu from the middle yard, and the three aunties from the front yard were sitting together, basking in the rare warm afternoon sun while busy with their own tasks.

Aunt Liu had an old basket on her lap, piled high with materials for making matchboxes—thin pieces of wood and rough paper. Her fingers flew across the paper, her movements swift and efficient. She dipped a little glue in the paper, and with a few quick swipes, a small, square box was formed, fast and neat.

Grandma Li, wearing reading glasses, was holding a thick cotton sock with a hole in it, and she was patiently mending it stitch by stitch, the stitches fine and even.

The third woman was holding a half-finished blue cloth jacket, and she was using a thimble to hold the needle in place, carefully sewing the edge at the collar. Her needlework was clearly very meticulous.

Wei Chen's mother, Wang Xiulan, held a thick, half-finished shoe sole in her hand. Her left hand gripped the sole, while her right hand held a large needle threaded with hemp rope. Her arm propelled her entire upper body, rhythmically applying force, the needle piercing small holes in the sole. The large needle, carrying the thick hemp thread, sizzled and hissed as it pierced the thick layers of cloth. She lowered her head slightly, her expression focused and serene.